The Way We Haven't Been Yet
by Ella Rae
Summary: Dean Winchester is a happily married man. He has a beautiful wife, two gorgeous kids, the big house with a picket fence, and a life free of chaos. But why does that black car bug him so much? Why is he plauged with nightmares of a cloaked figure?
1. Chapter 1

The wind rustled Dean's hair slightly as it swept past him through the park. He was standing under an ancient oak, looking out at nothing in particular, lost in his thoughts. Usually his mind was always in motion, thinking ahead of what to do next and always aware of what was around him. But occasionally that all just stopped and he would feel disconnected from the world, a vague sense that he was forgetting something hovering in his mind. For a few brief moments he wasn't there.

"Daddy! Daddy!" a little voice shrieked in the familiar tone of a frightened little girl. Dean snapped out of it and turned to see his daughter Layla running towards him, her brother John hot on her heels. "Daddy, he's a monster! He's trying to eat me!" she shouted as she ran up and into his outstretched arms. "Eat you?" he exclaimed as he stood and brought her safely out of her brother's reaching distance. "John, are you trying to eat your sister?" The little boy snarled like a beast and then nodded with a grin so much like his father's. "Save me daddy! Save me!" Layla cried and buried her face in Dean's shoulder. Dean smiled then made a phony frightened face and replied, "Oh no, but I can't Layla, he's too scary and I have no weapon! Oh no love, he'll eat us both now! What ever shall we do? Who will save us?"

"I will!" their mother shouted as she jumped from behind the tree and proceeded to tickle her son. "I know his weakness, he can be fought with the power of tickles!" John laughed and fell to the ground as Melinda continued to attack him. "Hurray!" Dean and Layla shouted with arms in the air and then fell to the ground beside them and began to help. After a few minutes of playful tickling and screaming Dean ended up on top of his wife and they stared at each other for a few seconds before Dean said, "John, Layla go play tag now okay?" The children hopped up and John decided to let his little sister chase after him for a bit. Dean focused on his wife again and she smiled playfully. "What prize does your rescuer receive for saving your life?" she asked. He smiled back and leaned in closer till their lips were barely touching and said, "How 'bout this," then he kissed her and she threw her arms around his neck in glee. "Mmmm," she murmured after he pulled away, "That's a fine prize, but I could think of something a little better." She raised an eyebrow in suggestion. "Darling," he replied, "In public? Again? Remember what happened the last time, we don't want the city to ban us like Disneyworld did do we?" She pouted and answered, "I guess not, plus we don't want to emotionally scar the children." He laughed and kissed her again before helping her to her feet.

After brushing the autumn leaves from their clothes they hooked an arm around each other's waist and began to head in the direction their children were playing. "So are you going to make me slave over a stove tonight or can we order out for dinner?" she asked. "Hmm, I don't know, I let you slack off too much and then I'll never get a home cooked meal anymore," he answered and then hissed in pain as she playfully pinched him under the arm. "Okay, okay, I take it back." "Good," she replied then snuggled closer to him. "I was thinking pizza, the works…" Melinda's voice suddenly seemed to drift away until Dean could no longer hear her. He was staring at a black classic car parked across the street. He knew it somehow, he couldn't remember why, but he knew that car. Suddenly a memory flashed into his mind, of him driving that same car with someone in the passenger seat; a young man with brown hair and green eyes. He started as more memories came, almost pushing through some sort of fog, memories of fire and death and open road, spirits and Sam and his father. "Arg!" He shouted and pushed away from Melinda roughly, holding a hand to his now throbbing head. "Dean? Dean what's wrong? Dean!" she cried out in worry, the children stopped and starred back at their parents. "Get away! Get away from me!" he shouted as she tried to reach out for him. "Dean?" she asked, but he stumbled back and shouted, "This isn't real. None of this is real damn it! Get away!" "Dean you're scaring me, please tell me what's wrong!" She tried to reach out for him again but he shoved her back harshly. "You are not real," he said then pointed to their children and said, "They are not real." Melinda felt tears brimming in her eyes. "Dean what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?" He ignored her and looked around the park for the culprit, his vision beginning to blur and spin. "It isn't working!" he shouted. "I know the truth! I remember!" The sky became dark and he turned around at the sound of a growl. A dark figure was striding across the lawn towards him. He made it to where Melinda stood then walked right through her. She seemed to cry out without sound and then shimmer away. The children faded to nothing, looks of terror on their faces. "Ha!" Dean shouted as the figure continued to advance. "You didn't trick me." The figure said nothing; he reached out towards Dean and firmly grasped his neck in one huge, chain mail covered hand. Dean's look of triumph faded to pain and fear. "I will," a dark and deep voice replied and then he reached up and held another mail-covered hand to Dean's forehead and blinding pain shot through the front of his brain.

Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse, situated on the east docks of some city, Dean Winchester screamed out in pain, but there was no one to hear him. His battered, bruised, body was kneeling on the molding floor, his hands behind his back chained to a pole. He screamed again and threw his head back, just barely missing the pole, but his eyes never opened. A dark and evil being had control of his mind and had only just begun to slowly torture him with images of a life he could have had and fate he most surely will. Across the river and far on the edge of this city Sam Winchester sat in a crappy motel room, his head in his hands, trying to think of some way to find and rescue his older brother. Nothing was coming to him and he was running out of time.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, I forgot to put the usual disclaimer up last time, of course I do not own Sam or Dean (except in my dreams ;-) or anything related to "Supernatural," but everything else is mine.

Thanks to those of you who were so kind to review, this is the first story I have put up on and so am a little worried. Also I'm sorry if I take a very long time in updating, the idea for the premise of this story came up out of nowhere and so I have been struggling with how to carry on. Sorry. But from here on out I will try to update much more often.

24 Hours Earlier…

"So who is this guy again?" Sam asked as the beat up 68' Chevy Impala his brother loved so dearly roared along the highway, said brother behind the wheel. Dean popped another Led Zeppelin tape into the dash and said,

"He's someone Dad and I met working on a case in New Hampshire, he's a little…" he stopped, trying to find the right word.

"Interesting," was the best he could think of. Sam gave him a skeptical look.

"Interesting? How exactly?" he asked.

"Well, he's really into the myths and lore, if you know what I mean, not mention all the scientific angles. We found him holed up in this old abandoned farmhouse, equipment everywhere, books and papers scattered about; he was so sure he could stop the thing we were tracking with all his technology. I swear if it wasn't ghosts and demons it would've been aliens and government conspiracies."

Sam nodded and looked out the window again at the rural countryside passing them by. Dean went on,

"He wanted to tag along with us, but we brushed him off. He followed us anyway and naturally got in the way, but in the end he did us a favor by distracting the thing long enough for us to get it. He's an all right guy, just a little excitable, paranoid I guess. All his types are. Anyway we gave him our number, said to call if anything else ever came up, and then hit the road."

"So what'd he say? Why are we going all the way up there to see him?" Sam asked.

"He mentioned something about a demon, he wasn't sure what kind exactly, he was talking pretty fast so it was hard enough to understand him. But, basically he said it was big, it was bad, and we should hurry."

"That's it?" Sam said as he looked back at his brother. Dean shrugged.

"Mentioned something about mind games. He thought it was some sort of succubus, messing with a person's mind then feeding off of their energy. He said there had been a string of people going crazy around the area, people who had been fine days before, model citizens, then suddenly becoming raving lunatics and attacking people."

"Well, sounds like another fun day at the office bro," Sam replied with a sigh. Dean shot him a sideways glance, taking in the dark circles and off color complexion. Sam still wasn't sleeping well, Dean would always wake up in the middle of the night to find him surfing the net, reading, or watching TV. If he did manage to sneak a few winks he would always wake up with a start, sweating and panting, the nightmares never stopping. Dean was really starting worry, but he didn't know what it was he could do about it exactly.

A few hours later they pulled into the town of Meredith, New Hampshire, just on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. The town was every bit New England, with homes and shops that looked like they should be featured in _Better Homes and Gardens_. The lake was a clear, dark blue and the surrounding mountains were covered in lush, thick trees.

The Impala roared down Main St, pulling off onto St. James and stopping in front of a homey looking dinner. "Bob & Sherry's Eatery" blazed in red neon from the window and two old men sat mumbling to each other on a bench in front.

"Let's eat before we head over to Marvin's, I'm starved," Dean said and both brothers stepped from the car and headed inside. There was a sign just inside the door that read, "Please Seat Yourself," and as soon as they had a woman who looked about forty and was as wide as she was tall shuffled over with a notepad.

"What can I get you cuties?" she asked in a voice that had known the Marlboro Man for far too long. Dean ordered a double cheeseburger and fries right away while Sam opted for a single. She smiled and threw a wink in Dean's direction before heading to the kitchen.

"So, this Marvin guy thinks that a form of succubus is preying on this town, sending people insane? Does he have in real proof, evidence besides the victims?" Sam asked once the waitress was out of earshot.

"He said that he'd explain everything in more detail once we got there, but he couldn't do it over the phone. Paranoid remember?" Dean answered.  
"Okay, it's all just a little weird," Sam replied.

"I'm pretty sure weird is the word most people would use to describe Marvin," was Dean's retort. Their orders arrived a few minutes later and "Mrs. Marlboro" tried to chat them up for a bit, but gave up when all she could get were grunts and half-hearted, "Mm-hm's."

When they were done and she came to take their plates Dean finally spoke directly to her since he'd ordered.

"Do you know everybody around here?" he asked. She smiled wide and said,  
"Sure do, been here all my life, there aint a soul in this town Rita Lee don't know about."

"Well I just want to make sure, Marvin Bates, he still lives in that old barn off Philbrook Avenue doesn't he?"

At the mention of Marvin's name Rita's heavily make-upped face went pale. She set the coffee pot down on the table and pulled a chair up next to the boys. She looked apologetic as she glanced from one to the other.

"You didn't happen to know Marvin too well, did you?" she asked, her voice suddenly very quiet.

"He's kind of an old colleague, why?" Dean replied. She sighed and looked around quickly, as though she were afraid someone was spying on them.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news Sugar Pie, but Marvin he's… well he's not right in the head anymore."

"What do you mean anymore?" Sam asked.

"Something strange has been happenin' around here lately. Good, honest people disappearing for a few days then turning up as mad and wild as them poor cows they got over in England. They attack their friends, their families, anyone they come into contact with, crying, 'You're demons, you all demons!' Then after about a week they just keel over and die. They get worse, first, some go completely still while others rave on harder, but they all get worse and then they just die, like their heart's have given out. Marvin, well he said he was gonna try and do something about it, but…"

"What?" Dean asked, already almost sure of what she was going to say. Rita looked gloomy as she went on.

"The Sheriff found him two days ago, wandering in the fields near that barn of his. He attacked two of the deputies that had come to take him in and it took four of them to get him into the car and then up to the hospital. I'm afraid he's ended up just like the rest of them. I'm sorry."

She patted both brothers' arms and then got up from her seat. Sam and Dean stared at each other for a few moments, the words, "Oh great," spelled out in their expressions.

"Looks like this is serious," Sam said and Dean nodded, thinking for a moment.

"Well," he said, "Let's go see him. Maybe we can get something out of him." Sam nodded and pulled out his wallet to leave the bill and tip.

"Hey Rita?" Dean called over his shoulder, "What hospital was that?"


	3. Author's Note

Author's Note.

There's probably no point in putting this up, but, just in case someone stumbles upon this fic one day, I guess a tiny explanation would be somewhat helpful.

As you may have noticed I started this story around the time the show began, in its first or second year. That was a long time ago now. When I recently rediscovered it I thought maybe I'd try to go on and salvage something, try to finish it. I realized though that Supernatural has done SO many things these past eight years, had so many different plots, that perhaps this one is not as interesting or new of a concept to explore any more. It's also something that fits in with the stories and character development of the first year, rather than current events and personalities. So I'm just going to leave it as is. Thanks to those few who took an interest at the very beginning.

Bye.


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